PATTON’S ARMY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25803, 26 March 1945, Page 5

PATTON’S ARMY

CROSSING NEAR MAINZ FOUR TOWNS TAKEN ENEMY CAUGHT UNAWARES (Rec. 9.30 P.m.) LONDON. Mar. 24. General Patton’s troops to-night are pouring' into their bridgehead across the Rhine, which, it is officially disclosed, is 10 miles long and four miles deep. It is confirmed that the bridgehead is in the Mainz-Worms area. Third Army forces have already captured four towns in the area, namely— Atheim, Geinsheim, Leehiem, and Er-. felden. Infantry took 800 prisoners to noon to-day. A number of tanks and tank destroyers are across the river. One bridge is operating. Advanced units, after repulsing brisk German counter-attacks, made considerable progress. Reuter’s Basle correspondent quotes an unconfirmed report that French First Army troops crossed the Rhine at Rastatt yesterday afternoon. The Third and Seventh Armies liquidated the remnants of 22 German divisions in the Rhine-Moselle-Saar triangle, including the Seventeenth S.S. Division, the Second Mountain Division, and the Second Panzer Division, taking between 80,000 and 90,000 prisoners. The Berlin radio commentator, Captain Sertorius, said that another Allied crossing of the Rhine between Dusseldorf and Cologne was expected. The enemy offensive would not be confined to the Rees-Wesel sector for long. The Third Army crossed the Rhine on Thursday night and b Y dawn on Friday had established a solid budgehead, says an Associated Press correspondent. Little assault boats, paddled by hand, made the first crossing, and an entire company crossed within the first 25 minutes, meeting only slight smallarms fire says the British United Press correspondent with the Third Army. Artillery was on hand to help them, but it was not needed. The Associated Press correspondent says General Patton s men moved 1, like lightning. The Ger-, mans were simply caught by surprise and overwhelmed by the weight of our arms, did not fire a single artillery round until two hours after the first troops crossed. Two jet fighters which showed their noses over the beach-head at the first; crack of dawn were promptly shot down. Not a man was lost in the actuai crossing. Assault troops began assembling in groups of 12 along the tree-lined west bank soon after nightfall. There was a quiet command soon after 10 p.m. and the operation was on. Like pallbearers, carrying their assault boats with six men on each side, they slipped the craft into the river and paddled silently across. At 10.25 p.m. came a message from the other _ side, “ First company across* Everything quiet.” The Remagen bridgehead fighting has not been in the limelight to-day, but correspondents say that First Army troops yesterday lengthened their territory to 33 miles wide, while the depth remains at 10 miles. Resistance in the northern sector was fairly heavy, several counter-attacks being repulsed, but to the south and south-east, where we have crossed the Weid River, resistance was light. Armoured troops advanced 4000 yards to come within 1500 yards of Engers. while infantry advanced to capture Rangsdorf, west of the Weid River. Nearer the centre the Ninety-nintii Infantry Division pushed east up to 3000 yards and captured Kurtschiea, and the Ninth Infantry Division, after losing contact with the enemy, who was making a local withdrawal, caught up with them near Gerhardshaven and continued to advance 500 yards east of the motor highway.